SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS CONSERVANCY ANNUAL REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2019-2020 PROJECT ACTIVITY AND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CERTIFICATION State of California, Gavin Newsom, Governor The Natural Resources Agency, Wade Crowfoot, Secretary Dedicated to JEROME C. DANIEL Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Advisory Committee Member 1983-2020 CONTENTS Mission Statement ....................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 2 Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Members .................................................... 3 Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Advisory Committee ................................. 4 Strategic Objectives ..................................................................................................... 7 Encumbering State Funds Certification-Interest Costs .......................................... 9 Workprogram Priorities ............................................................................................ 10 River/Urban ......................................................................... See attached map Simi Hills ............................................................................... See attached map Western Rim of the Valley .................................................. See attached map Eastern Rim of the Valley ................................................... See attached map Western Santa Monica Mountains ...................................... See attached map Eastern Santa Monica Mountains ....................................... See attached map Government Actions Review ..................................................................................... 11 Plan Approval ................................................................................................. 11 Federal Report ............................................................................................... 11 Bonded Indebtedness ..................................................................................... 12 Local Agency Compliance ......................................................................................... 13 Financial Summary ................................................................................................... 16 Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Fund Condition Report ................................................................................. 16 Summary Statement of Capital Outlay Fund Condition through June 30, 2019 . ...................................................................................................17 Consolidated Statement of Capital Outlay Fund Condition and Local Assistance through June 30, 2019..................................................................18 Project Activity and Comprehensive Plan Certification ........................................25 MISSION STATEMENT Through direct action, alliances, partnerships, and joint powers authorities, the Conservancy’s mission is to strategically buy back, preserve, protect, restore, and enhance treasured pieces of Southern California to form an interlinking system of urban, rural and river parks, open space, trails, and wildlife habitats that are easily accessible to the general public. 1 Elysian Valley Gateway Park, Los Angeles River Fairmont Buttes, Antelope Valley Hidden Creeks Dedication, February 21, 2020 For the First Time in History, Conservancy Parks Were Closed March-May 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic California Buckwheat Last In-person Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Community Meeting Pacoima Wash Project Planning and Design INTRODUCTION The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy was established in 1980 following the passage of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Act. This landmark legislation, amended five times since then to bring more of the Southern California mountains within the Conservancy’s jurisdiction, has resulted in the preservation of over 75,000 acres of parkland, the improvement of hundreds of public recreational facilities, and numerous individual grants to nonprofit organizations for educational and interpretation programs that have served hundreds of thousands of children, seniors, and other park visitors. The Conservancy consists of nine voting members, two ex-officio members and six legislative members. This policy-making entity for the Conservancy is broadly representative of state, regional, and local interests. A twenty-six-member Advisory Committee meets jointly with the Conservancy and offers citizens the opportunity for even greater participation. The composition of both the Conservancy and the Advisory Committee has greatly expanded since its inception. The key to the Conservancy’s success has been partnerships—cooperating landowners, local governments, joint powers entities, California State Parks and the National Park Service—all have contributed to the articulation of a greater vision for parks, open space, and natural habitat surrounding the Southern California metropolis. This report will detail the financial activities of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for fiscal year 2019-2020. 2 Los Angeles River Center and Gardens Robin’s Nest Restoration, Santa Clara River Food Distribution, May 2020 92-acre von Furstenberg Donation, Carbon Canyon Hidden Creeks 257-acre Acquisition, Santa Susana Mountains Canyon Drive Acquistion, Los Angeles Cattails, Los Angeles River SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS CONSERVANCY July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020 CONSERVANCY MEMBERS Listed in statutory order pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 33200 IRMA MUÑOZ, CHAIRPERSON Member Appointed by the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles STEVE VERES, VICE CHAIRPERSON Public Member Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee JEROME C. DANIEL (Until October 2019) Designee of Hon. Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors FRAN PAVLEY (From November 2019) Designee of Hon. Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors DAVID SZYMANSKI Superintendent, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area RUDY ORTEGA Public Member Appointed by the Governor MARTHA M. ESCUTIA Until January 2020) Public Member Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly MIGUEL LUNA (From February 2020) Public Member Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly HON. LINDA PARKS, SUPERVISOR Ventura County Board of Supervisors JOSHUA NELSON (Until August 2019) Designee of the Secretary for Resources, State of California Natural Resource Agency AMANDA MARTIN (From August 2019) Designee of the Secretary for Resources, State of California Natural Resource Agency CRAIG SAP Superintendent, Angeles District, California Department of Parks and Recreation 3 MARY LUÉVANO (Until August 2019) Ex Officio Member, Appointed by the California Coastal Commission LINDA ESCALANTE (From August 2019) Ex Officio Member, Appointed by the California Coastal Commission JEROME E. PEREZ (From 2/2019) Ex Officio Member, Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest LEGISLATIVE PARTICIPANTS HON. ANTHONY PORTANTINO, SENATOR, 25TH DISTRICT Legislative Participant Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee HON. BEN ALLEN, SENATOR, 26TH DISTRICT Legislative Participant Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee HON. HENRY STERN, SENATOR 27TH DISTRICT Legislative Participant Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee HON. CHRIS HOLDEN, ASSEMBLYMEMBER, 41ST DISTRICT Legislative Participant Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly HON. LAURA FRIEDMAN, ASSEMBLYMEMBER, 43rd DISTRICT Legislative Participant Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly HON. RICHARD BLOOM, ASSEMBLYMEMBER, 50TH DISTRICT Legislative Participant Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS DONALD J. ROBINSON, CHAIRPERSON Representative of the City of Westlake Village HON. GEORGE LANGE, VICE CHAIRPERSON Representative of the Conejo Recreation and Park District ALAN KISHBAUGH Representative of the City of Los Angeles ALLISON-CLAIRE ACKER Representative of the County of Los Angeles 4 JANET WALL Representative of the City of Thousand Oaks SEAN ANDERSON, PH.D. Representative of the County of Ventura HON. ILLECE BUCKLEY-WEBER Representative of the City of Agoura Hills PATT HEALY Representative of the City of Malibu HON. MARY SUE MAURER Representative of the City of Calabasas GAREN YEGPARIAN Representative of the City of Burbank MARC STIRDIVANT (Until August 2019) Representative of the City of Glendale RAFI MANOUKIAN (From May 2020) Representative of the City of Glendale STEPHEN DEL GUERCIO (Until May 2020) Representative of the City of La Cañada Flintridge KEITH EICH (From May 2020) Representative of the City of La Cañada Flintridge PERLETTE M. JURA Representative from the City of Pasadena CAROLINE BROWN Representative of the City of Sierra Madre HON. MICHAEL CACCIOTTI Representative of the City of South Pasadena KAREN BUEHLER Representative of the unincorporated communities within the jurisdiction of the Eastern Rim of the Valley Trail Corridor 5 NANCY STEPHENS Public Member Appointed by the Governor WENDY-SUE ROSEN Public Member Appointed by the Governor ED CORRIDORI, PH.D. Public Member Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee TIMOTHY WENDLER Public Member Appointed by the Senate Rules Committee EDLIN LOPEZ (from 2/2019) Public Member Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly MIGUEL LUNA (Until February 2020) Public Member Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly KIRSTEN JAMES (From March 2020) Public Member Appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly HON. MARK JOHNSON Representative